wright



hof Boston, in thecounty of Suffolk and Statfeof Massachusetts, have invented cer-A i `an end View. Fig. t is a plan" of the sup-' tion maybe distinguished from others of a` )claim and desire to have secured" to me by; Letters Patent. I

and Fig. 5 is a top view of the machine with,

ing and measuring cloth the folding has; been accomplished by moving folders or byl the rollers in the traversing carriages do not machinery, the folding and measuring are sive folds of theclfitliftifid pair of adjustf j l ,UNITED sTATEs PATENT orrion.

`wM.` ic.` WRIGHT, or

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO JAS. F. .WHITTEMORE,`

I. RICHD. MARTIN, AND WM. C. WRIGHT. I

FOLDING AND MEASURING cIlofrII.

To aZZ 'whom t may concern j 1 l Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. WRIGHT,

tain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Folding and Measuring Cloth;y and thatthe following description, taken inl connection with the accompanying draw-1 ings, hereinafter referred to, forms a full; and exact specification of the same, whereinf; I have set forth the nature and principles `of` my said improvements, by which my inven lsimilar class, together with such parts as I The ligures'of the accompanying plate ofg' drawings represent my improvements. y i Figure l is a front elevation `of my machine for folding and measuring cloth. Figa 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is;l

portingplatform or table and one folder,

the platform and folding table removed. j With most of the machines with which I:` have been able to become` familiar for folddelivering rollers set in a carriage whichl traverses t-he table reciprocatingly and de circumstances fold and measure accurately the cloth which is passed through the machine, as the effect of the moving folders is very `variable upon the cloth sometimes and always `deliver evenly. By my improved unerringly and accurately done, and the .essential features of my machine are a moving table formed of a segment of a cylinder and having a reciprocating rotary motion im-; parted to it, the lengthof which motion may be adjusted for different lengths of folds,` said table operating with a pair of guiding folders working alternately to form succesable holders at each end of the traversing table to hold the folds as they are made, these holders being arranged "so as to be lifted up, at the time the end of each fold is approached, `and shutting down upon the 'same as soon as the table begins to reverse its motion. I

In the drawings@ a ci. a in the several figures represents the frameworkaof the machine, Z7 is' a platform sustained upon thetop of a portion of this framework, and supporting the standards in which res-t and turn the journals of theroller c c, which contains the cloth to be folded and measured. Near the frontedge of the platform Z2, isjanelongated slot `CZ CZ, made of such dimensions as to accommodatethe greatest width of cloth to be folded and having an ,adjustable guide 6,6 at each end by which t-he slot may be made narrowerto accommo-` date the cloths of lesser width. The guides 6,6 may be confined in any desiredposition,

by meansof the slots and set screws, shown at f, that operate in a mannerwhich will readily be lunderstood by inspection of,

Figli. I I I g g, Figs. 1,2, 3 and 4, is the `moving folding table, formed of asegment of a cylinder andof sufficient width to be applicable to the -cloths of the greatest width. This table is supported on the upper end of the radial arm Za 71 and its braces z', z', the lower end of said radial arm being connected to the rocker shaft lac, Figs. l, 2, 3 and 5, the

journalsof which have proper bearings in` the lower part ofthe framework, as shown in the drawings. The radial arm Za Z2., by being vibrated, imparts a reciprocating rotary motion to the folding table g g, and the vibrations `of said arm are effectedby means I of the connecting `rod Z Z from the crank my,

said connecting rod being arranged between the radial arm and` crank, as shownin Figs. l and 2, and said crankbeing revolved by being attached to the end of the revolving shaft n', resting and turningin bearings in the lower part of the framework, as shown in Figs. l, 2, 3 and 5. On the center of the shaft a is a larger wheel 0, which engages with the pinion 79 on the crank or driving shaft g g, and through the connection'thus established between the shaft a and g g, the

former is made to revolve. The length of vibrations of the radial arm h @and consequently of the sweep `through which the foldingtable traverses forward and back, may be varied by varying the length of the crank m, and this may be effected by making the end of the connecting rod Z Z, which is connected to the crank m, adjustable in a conducted down yfrom the roller c c, through lthe slot Z d, is passed underneath the rectangular guiding folders t t t z-t t t t and confined under one of the elongated holders u u u MFMv u, u u, arranged at each end of the folding table, so as to operate with Said table as nippers. These two guiding folders t t t t are arranged so as to turn in bearings at opposite ends of the framework of the machine, as shown in the draw? ings, and operate alternately, so as to guide 'the cloth only against the top of the table and under reachV of the two holders u u u u,

alternately, but they have nothing to do with determining the length of the folds, this, as before suggested, being effected byl the movements of the folding table. rfhese guiding folders lare kept at their inner edges (when they are operating to guide the cloth) near the surface of the folding table lby means of the spiral springs ar-V ranged as shown in Figs. l and 2, and they are alternately relieved from the cloth or.l

table, when not wanted to guide the former, by the following combination of mechanical devices: An arm r, fr projects at an obtuse angle with the plane of the folders, and from the rear of each the same, as shown Vin Figs. 1 and 2, and these arms are con-v nected by the rods w, w to the lower ends of t-he two diverging levers m, which turn on proper pins or fulcra inthe connecting rod y y. lThe edges of the shorterarms of these levers m, bear against the two sides of the central cleat e, as shown `by dotted lines in Fig. l, so that these arms may turn upon their fulcra in one direction or so that their lower ends may approach eachother, but may not be turned in the other direction, andl by this arrangement when the connecting rod y y is made to vibrate `it will alternately by its motions through the nedium of the said levers fr,

rods w, fw, and arms r, r, raise the folders The vi-` from the cloth as above suggested. brations of the rod y y are connected with the motion of the rocker shaft .71: la, and consequentlyy with the movement of the folding table, as will be readily comprehended, byy

means of the crank a on one end of said rocker'shaft, as shown in Fig. l, and by reason of this connect-ion the folders will always be lifted at the proper time whatever'variation may be made in the movement of the folding table for the purpose of making different lengths of folds. The holders 'u u u u, &c;, are always kept down upon and grip the folds with the exception-of the moment when a new fold is being guided under them by the. folders, when they are lifted for an instant and immediately descend again to hold the folds. These holders vare narrow rectangular frames, as shown in the drawings, turning a little on journals which rest in adjustable right angular supports b b, the horizontal arms of which are slotted so that they may be confined to the underside of the folding table,

as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, by means of the f confining screws c', c', this'adjustment being necessary, as will vreadily be perceived, in order to provide for different lengths of folds. The gripping edge of the holders is kept down upon the folds by means of the rods ai', d, cZ, d connected at one end to a projecting arm e e of said holders, its

other end moving in a guiding hole in the sector shaped block f on the rocker shaft. A spiral spring g g on each rod d', cl', d, d

bears at one end on the periphery o f the said block,'its other end pressing against a y nut hf, confined in any proper posit-ion on said rods d, d', so as to keep the holders constantly on the folds unless when relieved from the same, asabove suggested, and so as to accommodate the accumulating pile ofy folds.

same, is effected by means of a pin or stud i', arranged on one edge of each holder, and at or near its front, which stud moves at the proper time over a cam 7o is', hung on a support Z `Z fixed on one of the inner corners of each of the folders, said cam being curved so `as to secure the requisite degree of lift. This cam is arranged so as to tilt' upward and allow an easy escapement of the pin z" o-ver its back by being supported on a pin m in the supports Z, but it is kept from moving downward by a lateral arm which rests on a ledge of the support Z, as shown. at n in Figs. l and 2-and a spring 0 may be used to prevent its iiying up, the operation of which will be understood by inspection of the drawings.

In order to remove the cloth when folded from the folding table, it is necessary'to lift the folders and holders altogether from the same and this is eil'ected as follows: A treadle lever p p has a fulcrum at one end on The lifting of the holders, so that 'each new fold may be guided under the the framework, and at its other end it has l a cord t t depends and passes around a5 fixed pulley u', to thelower ends of two rods o o, the upper ends of which rod are connected to the arms e', e of the holders,`

to have secured to meby Letters Patent is'- l. Making the folding table of a machine for folding and measuring cloth, to move with a reciprocating motion so as to `make the folds and determine their length and also the making said motion adjustable in order to change the length of the folds to be made and measured. y

2. I claim the `combination of the moving folding table operating as above specified with the guiding folders and the elongated holders to each side of the table for folding and guiding the cloth to be `folded and holding it as herein above set forth.

3. I claim making the said holders adjustable upon the ends of the folding table so as to accommodate different length of folds as herein above set forth.`

4. I claim relieving the' cloth when folded from the folders and holders so that it may be removed from the folding table by raising all of them simultaneously bv means of the treadle connected to the said folders and holders through the mechanism herein above described or in any other way substantially similar. v

i W. C. WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

ESRA LINCOLN, JNO. HOWARTH. 

